Jaish-e-Mohammed Admits Masood Azhar's Family Killed in Indian Strikes
A Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, has admitted in a viral video that terror chief Masood Azhar's family was "torn into pieces" during India's 'Operation Sindoor' on May 7. The precision missile strikes targeted JeM's headquarters in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam. This rare admission from within the terror group validates the effectiveness of India's counter-terrorism operations, which reportedly killed over 70 terrorists, including Azhar's relatives and associates.
Unpacked:
Masood Azhar is the founder and current leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Pakistan-based jihadist organization. He is considered a key figure in regional and transnational terrorism and was listed as an international terrorist by the UN Security Council in 2019.
The main objective of 'Operation Sindoor' was to conduct precision missile strikes against Jaish-e-Mohammed's headquarters in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, in response to a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, aiming to eliminate key militants and disrupt the group's operations.
Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has continued to portray JeM operatives as innocent, even after the Jaish-e-Mohammed commander's confession, revealing Pakistan's conflicting narrative regarding the group and the events of Operation Sindoor.
Jaish-e-Mohammed, founded by Masood Azhar, has orchestrated numerous attacks in India and Afghanistan since its inception. The group is notorious for its involvement in high-profile terror incidents and is seen as a major player in the South Asian jihadist landscape.